A place of stories and everyday living on the Gaspe Coast. I am a storyteller, a writer and a great listener. I will use this site to share some of the wisdom that I have learned on my own life's journey through the insightful art of storytelling, music, beauty and folklore of this amazing place.

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A Pirate's Treasure in the Bay of Chaleurs

The ship was sinking. They had left Ireland over a month before, heading for New York City. The captain had died on board leaving the ship without direction. They knew they were in trouble when their food supplies and water was running out.

Annie was twenty years old and had been full of hope when she said good bye to her Aunt Edna. Without any other relatives, she decided to leave her small town and go to a place that promised to be more exciting. One evening a storm set in and the ship was no match for the mighty waves that crashed against it. Everyone on board took shelter below deck and in the darkness prayed for their survival. The winds lasted for two days. When it had calmed down, Annie noticed the water slowly seeping in around their feet. Everyone now went up on deck in a panic. The ship was sinking and they were going to have to swim if they wanted to survive. They could see land ahead but it was still too far for most people to make it. Mr. Anderson, a carpenter took over and made sure they were all fed with the remaining supplies. With the help of the other men, they tore apart pieces of the ship's wooden structure to make floating devices that would help them reach the shore.

When they left Ireland, there had been sixty two people on board. Now there were only thirty nine passengers left. Many had perished during the storm. They would not be able to bring much with them because they would have to use all their strength to hold on to the floating pieces of wooden debris to get to shore. Annie went back to the lower deck to pick up her leather satchel that contained a small amount of money that her aunt had given her before she left. As she walked along the darkened corridor, she passed the captain's office. A small amount of light was streaming in from where they had ripped boards apart to make the floating devices. The water was seeping in and was now up around her knees. How sad she thought, Captain Moore had been such a kind man and he had been so protective of her when she first came on board. He had told her stories of his life at sea and some of the interesting people he had met. Turning around to leave, she seen a small wooden box with a silver clasp floating in the water beside his desk. She picked it up and put it into her leather satchel which she tied across her back. Up on deck, Mr. Anderson gave them instructions on how to swim their way to shore by holding on to the pieces of floating lumber.

Within two hours, they had all made it to dry land. Exhausted but thankful that they were alive, they gathered together in a prayer of thanksgiving as they watch their ship slowly sink into the Bay of Chaleurs.

Annie opened the first general store in the area and became a rich young woman. She sold everything from tea cups to gun powder. She married Thomas Leblanc and had six children. She sent money to her Aunt Edna and had her move to Canada to live with her. Annie often told the story of the wooden box that she had found on the sinking ship. Inside she found a few gold coins and a bank note that led her to New York to claim a long lost treasure that had once belonged to a rich man without a family, except for her, his new wife. Yes Captain Moore had told her many stories about a young pirate named Peter that he used to know well. Peter Moore had died on that sunken ship that she had watched go down in the Bay of Chaleurs. He had not always been the respectable captain of a ship and she was sure that he would have been happy that his stolen fortune had been used to give a poor Irish girl a new start in life.

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About Me

My name is Mary, I am a woman and I have a story, just like all of you.

From an early age I was an observer and a storyteller who had a wonderful imagination.I enjoyed listening to others because I had a need to figure out their stories and wanted to understand them. Growing up, life happened... the days of my life turned into the pages of, what seemed, at times an unbelievable story.

I tried to handle each challenge with all the kindness and understanding that I could find within me, as each new scar settled into my broken innocence.

Now, I realize that each player who became a part of my life was living through their own dramatic story. Each being and acting the only way they knew how, according to the narrative they believed about themselves.

On July 22, 2013 my beautiful 25 year old daughter was operated for a brain tumor. It brought back the memories of losing my father to the same operation years ago. They took her in for her surgical procedure on a Sunday night. By 3 a.m. on Monday morning, after almost eight hours, it was over. We still did not know the details except that she was alive and that she responded to a few question when they woke her up minutes after the operation.

On Tuesday morning, the day after her surgery, the man who had been in my life for the past six years took his own life; it was surreal and impossible to believe. Inside, I was shattered but my daughter needed me and I knew that despite all the pain she was in, losing him would bring her more. At that moment I knew it was time to change my story.

I stepped back from the busyness of "normal" life, bowed my head and surrendered to the storm I was lost in. It was the most difficult challenge I had ever experienced and I knew that no one was coming to save me. No one could make it all better... .

My dream has always been to be a writer. I've longed to write about the lives of women from a personal and understanding perspective. I'm not a great writer... actually, far from it. I know I will never be a Jane Austin, nor an Emily Bronte; that is not the reason I write. My hope is that I can use my education, life experiences and story to encourage other women. My mother, who was my role model, always used to say that, "there are better days ahead". I believed her and have used those words throughout my life as a means of moving forward, despite the challenges that seemingly tried to block me.

As a student of the Simply Women Accredited Training Institute, I have the honor of working with the visionary empowerment coach and teacher Crystal Andrus, who is the head of a unique world wide women's empowerment educational movement.